Isn't video content killer-link bait?
-
I have not tested this yet and but I cant find anything useful on it searching online.
My theory is that if you host a video on one of your own webpages and have the embed code of that video right under it then isnt everyone that grabs that embed code and sticks it on their site/blog giving you a backlink? When you click on an embed YouTube video it takes you straight to YT so surely someone embeds one of your videos that is hosted on your site it must give you a backlink?
If this is the case then what would the ancor text be if any? and how would you change it? What's the value of this think over a pure text link from the same page?
If this the above is correct then surely video is an incredible link building tool? The challenge still lies with making cost effective, quality video content but if you can get the hang of that then your on to a winner right? YouTube may get millions of hits and 'be the second biggest search engine' but having own branded, self hosted, killer-link-bait videos on your site must be the way forward?
Adding a video site map will help tell Google the video is there and it should get indexed in video searches. Also if it gets visibility in universal search you get visitors coming straight to you site....
-
To me, this is a bit like finding a successful infographic and then asking "Isn't image content killer link bait?".
Video, like image, is a medium for content delivery - rather than a type of content and this is how it should be considered in the context of link bait. Video content can be excellent link bait, but the form itself is not by default any more "linkable" than images, words or applications.
"Linkbait video" it requires a specific approach which often doesn't tie in very well with commercial interests. For someone to link to a video, there has to be specific value in the experience of watching it through -- this can be an aesthetic experience, humour, instruction or exciting delivery of information. for more information and advice on what makes a "linkable" video - check out this blog post on the topic - http://www.distilled.net/blog/social-media/youtube/creating-awesome-videos-for-seo/
There are also some specific problems with using video for Link Bait
- If you don't secure your video properly, the content can be ripped and uploaded to YouTube. As you rightly pointed out, Youtube is the worlds second biggest search engine, which means that individuals will use it to find your video content, rather than your own site. This means that often a lot of your earned links will go to an erroneous YouTube channel, rather than the targeted domain.
- Video is invasive when embedded on a website. Unlike reading or looking at an image, watching a video is an active and engaged process. You cannot skim read a video and thus, if someone embeds a video on their site - it has to be because they want their readers to temporarily disengage from their own content and spend the time watching the thing through.
- People don't link to mediocre videos. The internet is awash with average video content, the vast majority of which is on YouTube and never gets watched or linked to be anyone. While you can always pick-up a few links with an average blog post, PDF document, infographic or plugin, run of the mill video will get you nowhere.
So, yes, Video can be great link bait - but there's a lot of risks involved and you have to do an exceptional job really get the links coming in. I would encourage you to have a play and put something out there, but don't expect to get it right first time. Videos can be valuable even if they don't get links as they offer the opportunity for blended organic results, video results, exposure on YT and can help improve the overall richness and quality of your site.
-
Thanks for the reply.
I understand that the vido sitemap is key for Vseo but are you saying its crucial for link building as well?
Has anybody had results with link building with video content? Do we know for a fact that is someone embeds a video that resides on your site that you get a backlink? And what would the ancor text be?
I am looking into buying Easy Video Play - looks like is has all the features I am looking for (you can embed sign up forms in the video itself) and it uses Amazon F3 to host the videos and there is no monthly cost. I messaged them about sitemaps and you have to do it manually but it doesn't look do hard - if any one has used EVP before I would be really keen to hear ho you got on before I commit??
Regards,
Graham
-
Keys things to consider:
1. Video sitemap is key
2. You don't have to physically host the video assets to accomplish this. Most of the legit platforms (BrightCove, LiveClicker, Wistia) have a feature where they still host, but you indicate the URL of the page the video resides on, for the same effect.
3. The platforms (Wistia in particular) make it very easy to automate the site map and specify meta info for each video.
4. At the end of the day, you have to have great video content. (solid content and solid quality). Too many people right now are producing really bad video, and this will come back to hurt them. With great content, video can be a fantastic tool in the arsenal.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Embedding videos for SEO
What is the best practice for having videos on a website in terms of increasing SEO? Embedding YouTube videos is probably the easiest solution, but does that help with SEO? The other options would be to use a third party or build one. What have other people found to be the best option? Thanks!
Image & Video Optimization | | STP_SEO0 -
Philosophical: Does Google know when a photo isn't what your meta data says it is? And could you be downgraded for that?
Not something I've ever heard discussed before, probably still a bit too esoteric for present day, but I've always been one to be guided by where I see Google headed rather than trying to game the system as it exists now. So think about it: Most stock and public domain photos are used repeatedly throughout the internet. Google's reverse image search proves that Google can recognize when the same photo is used across dozens of sites. Many of those photos will have alt and/or title text that Google also has crawled. If not it has the content of the page on which the photo exists to consider for context. So if Google has a TON of clues about what a photo is likely to be about, and can in theory aggregate those clues about a single photo from the dozens of sites using it, how might Google treat a site that mislabels it, old school "one of these things is not like the others" style? Would a single site hosting that photo be bolstered by the additional context that the known repeated photo brings in, essentially from other sites? If 10 sites about widgets are using the same widget photo, but the 11th uses an entirely new, never before published photo, would the 11th site then be rated better for bringing something new to the table? (I think this would be almost certainly true, drives home the importance of creating your own graphics content.) Anyway, like I said, all theoretical and philosophical and probably not currently in play, especially since an image can be used in so many different contexts, but it's New Years and things are slow and my brain is running, so I'm curious what other folks might think about that as the future of image optimization.
Image & Video Optimization | | BradsDeals1 -
When I host my You Tube Videos on my website how do I get remove the ads that You Tube puts in them?
I am looking for some advice regarding You Tube and removing the adverts that are within the videos when I host them on my website. I 'Googled' the answer and all the information that I found was relevant before the latest You Tube update? Many thanks in advance for your help.
Image & Video Optimization | | mblsolutions0 -
City/Town content pages for a local business
Earlier this month I asked a private question on the use of schema for service area pages on a home improvement contractors website. The question led to Miriam Ellis giving me some great ideas about creating content for pages specific to the clients service area. The goal here would be to rank for [roofing contractor + city] using a URL similar to: mycompany.com/service-areas/city-state A great idea Miriam gave me for creating content for these pages: Showcasing a previous project in that city/town with a well-written project description, photos, videos and client testimonials. Her advice is excellent and I wanted to share it with you. I also wanted to open up the discussion and see what others have had success with. If the company is relatively new, and doesn’t have the work history to create pages such as this, what would you do?
Image & Video Optimization | | WilliamCarr0 -
Does it matter how the NAP is formatted as long as it's consistent?
In local SEO, does it matter how the N.A.P. is formatted as long as it's consistent? Does the name have to be the official legal name? Should the address use USPS standards? Can the phone number be ###.###.#### instead of (###) ###-####?
Image & Video Optimization | | SteeleSEO0 -
Google Video Results
Hello Team, I've video website as: www.medikalekran.com . Website has 3550 index. But no result as video. I've 750 video in my website. And also I created a videositemap as: http://www.medikalekran.com/vdstmp.xml I added it to my Google Webmaster Tools account. What can I do for video indexing? Regards,
Image & Video Optimization | | medikalekran0 -
Multiple use of a YouTube video on site
Hi I want to add the same video (that is hosted on YouTube) onto a website on more than one page. Is it ok to use the same same video link in each instance? Are there any benefits in doing this? Are there any detrimental effects from an SEO perspective? Thank you
Image & Video Optimization | | PH2920 -
Will linking to my citation sources help google recognize them / credit my places account?
Or will those sources be discounted by google then similar to how google discounts link exchanges? I have noticed some pages, like mapquest, don't really have a directory, so google might not be aware of their content unless it is linked too??? In this type of a case, would it help to link to mapquest's search results? then the citation will get picked up by google? Example: http://www.mapquest.com/?hk=6-i30tP49i
Image & Video Optimization | | adriandg0